Tawny frogmouths share the following features with owls: they are nocturnal; they eat insects; they have large eyes; they have soft feathers for silent flight; and they have bristles or "whiskers" around their bills.

Differences include: owls will eat animals and birds up to their own size and sometimes larger, while frogmouths are almost exclusively insectivorous; owl eyes face fully forward whilst frogmouths' eyes face mostly to the side; owls have large, powerful feet,
while frogmouths have small, weak feet; owls have either a full or partial facial disk, while frogmouths do not; owls have large asymmetrical ears, while frogmouths do not; and owls have twelve tail feathers whilst frogmouths have ten.

The usual call of the tawny frogmouth is a low, resonating, "Oom-oom-oom-oom-oom-oom."

Many people hear boobooks calling with a, "Whu-WOOK!" call but the bird they see is the frogmouth, and assume that the frogmouth is making the noise.

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